LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen fired Kasper Hjulmand on Thursday after less than one year in charge and hired former Toulouse coach Carles Martínez Novell as his replacement.
It continues Leverkusen's turbulent ride since the departure of Bundesliga-winning coach Xabi Alonso at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Erik ten Hag was appointed to replace Alonso but was in charge for just three games before losing his job.
Hjulmand, the former Denmark coach, took over in September but could only lead Leverkusen to a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga. The team was eliminated from the Champions League by eventual runner-up Arsenal in the round of 16.
Martínez Novell, who will start the job on July 1, has signed a two-year deal. He led Toulouse to a ninth-place finish in the French league last season.
“Our goal remains to be competitive at the highest level and to further consolidate our position among the leading clubs in Europe,” Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro said.
Carro added of Martinez Novell: "He embodies a modern type of coach who can develop our highly talented team, raise it to a consistently high level and lead it to tangible success.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Toulouse's head coach Carles Martinez Novell gestures during the Europa League playoff first leg soccer match between SL Benfica and Toulouse FC at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
FILE - Toulouse's head coach Carles Martinez Novell gestures during the Europa League playoff first leg soccer match between SL Benfica and Toulouse FC at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
FILE - Toulouse's head coach Carles Martinez Novell gestures during the Europa League playoff first leg soccer match between SL Benfica and Toulouse FC at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the general election for California governor Friday after pitching himself as an experienced choice to lead the nation’s most populous state and succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Becerra leaned on his more than 35 years in public office — including as state attorney general and U.S. health secretary — to argue that he was the most qualified candidate in a crowded field.
“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are never backing down. November, here we come.”
It was not yet clear who Becerra will face in the general election. His top rivals came down to Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist who poured $215 million of his own money into his campaign.
Born and raised in Sacramento by Mexican immigrant parents, Becerra has a wife and three daughters. He has said his family’s immigrant background mirrored his “underdog” gubernatorial campaign, in which he initially failed to garner substantial support before surging in the final months.
After one of the top Democratic contenders, Rep. Eric Swalwell, was accused of sexual assault and dropped out of the race, Becerra benefited from an opening to coalesce Democratic support. He quickly racked up key endorsements from labor groups and Latino legislative leaders.
Becerra has vowed to maintain the state’s mantle as a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump. As attorney general he filed more than 120 legal actions against the first Trump administration on everything from immigration to climate policy.
The president has also been in a spat with the state over its drawn-out vote count. Trump made baseless claims mass fraud Thursday, and on Friday federal prosecutors said they opened investigations into allegations of election fraud. Hilton called for California to limit mail ballots to those who request them, rather sending them to all registered voters.
During the campaign Becerra's rivals scrutinized his leadership as health secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic and unaccompanied migrant children crisis in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. Some of them were criticized as having inadequate living conditions, and there were also concerns about authorities failing to thoroughly vet sponsors with whom some children were placed.
If elected, Becerra said, he would declare states of emergency to address high energy costs and housing shortages and to freeze home insurance rates.
Though California is one of the nation’s most diverse states, almost all its governors have been white men. Becerra would be the first Latino to hold the office since the late 1800s.
Newsom was barred by term limits from seeking a third stint in office.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer speaks during his election night watch party in San Francisco on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
